Strip-metal straightening and cutting-off machine.



P. B. SHUSTER. STRIP METAL STRAIGHTENING AND CUTTING- OFF MACHINE.

.ufruoun m nfmn HAY 23, 1910. Pa e 0 I INVENTOR i 19 Arron/45y I r. B.SHUSTER.

STRIP METAL STBAIGHTENING AND CUTTING OFF MACHINE.

Arrmoumx nun [AI 23, 1910. Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

a snare-531mm.

a d Z 8 3 26 WIN/ 8858; mvkurofi 'Q WW UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN BONAPART'E SHI TSTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICMT.

Specification of Letters Pate nt.

STRIP-METAL STRAIGHTENIN'G AND CUTTING-OFF MACHIN E.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN B. SHUs- 'rnR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStrip-Metal Straightening and Cutting-Off Machines; and Ido herebydeclare the following-to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

My invention relates to metal straightening and cutting off machinery,and particularly to machines adapted for straightening and cutting offinto predetermined lengths thin sheet metal strips, as will behereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 represents a reduced side elevationof the machine; Fig. 2 is an enlarged upper "plan view of straighteningrolls and feed rolls; broken view of their shafts, broken view of .themachine frame, and broken "iew ofa strip of metal; Fig. '3 is anenlarged sectional view of the sheet'metal guide-bar 'and its apron;cutting off lever rock shaft and apron support-ingrock shaft on line aof Fig. 1; of the cutting off lever and sectional view of its rockshaft, and sectional View of the guide-bar and its apron and apronsupportmg rock shaft on line b' of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an enlarged endelevation of the guide-bar and- 1ts apron, and cross sectional view ofthe gage rod head; Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken upper plan view of theguide-bar apron showing the gage rod head overlying the same; Fig. 7 isan enlarged rear eleva tion of the gage rod and its head, guide-bar andmeans for operatively suspending the rod to the bar; Fig. 8 is anenlarged cross sectional view of the guide-bar on line 0 of Fig. 9,sectional view of the apron supporting rock shaft, broken view -of oneofthe apron arms an side elevation 'of-one of 'the stock extractors; andFig. 9 is an enlarged broken side elevation of the guide.

bar, and cross sectional view of tractors on line (Z of Fig. 8.

The principal features of the machine shown at Fig. 1 belong to theordinary wire straightening and cutting off machines, and

the exthey consist of the head 1 carrying the Fig. 4 is an enlargedbroken view Patented-Oct. 25, 1910.

straightening roll shafts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

- These shafts carrythe straightening rolls 7,

8, 9, 10 and 11 on one side of the machine, and pinions (not shown) onthe opposite side of the machine, which pinions mesh together and aredriven by the pulley 12 mounted on shaft 2, and the adjustment of theserolls is effected by means of the hand wheel 13 in'the usual manner. 14and 15 are the feed roll shafts carrying the feed rolls 16'and 17adjusted by means of the hand wheel-18. 19 is a rock shaft jour naled inthe standards 20, which standards are supported on the large stationarypipe ated the guide-bar will be actuated with it.

The cutting off lever,22-is actuatedin the usual manner by means of acam, (not shown) on the shaft 28 in frame 1, 'en-' gaging a roll (notshown) on the pin 29 in the lower end of saidlever. 30 is the combinedbalance and driving wheel on said shaft. 31 is an arm-see Figs. 1 and3on the shaft 19 adapted to rock with said shaft and engage the toe ofthe collar 32 and rock the shaft 23'and carry the apron away from theguide-bar to allow a severedstrip to dro out. 33 are torsional springson the shaft 23 adapted to return the apron against the guide-bar. i

'The above description briefly sets forth the present construction ofmachines for straightening and cutting of wire,

My present improvement" consists in the additionof certain featureswhereby the machine is adaptedto strai hten and cut off flat metalstrips of any t ickness and width within its capacity. Instead ofgrooved straightening and feeding rolls as in wire straightening, therolls shown have smooth faces for feeding .the flat-strip 3-1. The die'35 through. which the strip is fed to'the' guide-bar is made to conformto flat instead of round stock, In feeding round wire, a send-circulargroove was formed throughout the length of the guide-bar to'form. apas-' sageway through which the wire from the ,feed rolls was carried,and a gage rod was located in the groove of the guide-bar in advance ofthe incoming wire with which said wire contacted to actuate the cuttingoff mechanism.

In utilizing the above described features of the machine adapted forround wire, I also employ a guide-bar and apron for strip stock, but adda new feature consisting of the recess 36 formed by a depression in theguide-bar, so that when the apron is closed the recess will form apassageway through which the stock is delivered from the feed rollsthrough the guide-bar. Longitudinal grooves or depressions 37 are formedat the bottom of the recess 36 in the guide bar, and similar depressions38 are formed in the apron.

39 is the gage rod carrying the thin sheet metal head 40 to which headis attached the gages 41, and as these gages, by reason of the grooves37 and 38, extend below the inner surfaces of the guide-bar and itsapron, it

will be impossible for the end of a thin metal strip to slip by thesegages 41. While only one of these gages would be sufficient for narrowmetal strips, a plurality are employed to accommodate wider strips.

The gage rod 39 is adjustably clamped in the block 42 at the rearof themachine as shown at Fig. 1, and the position of the gages'4l are thuslocated in the guide-bar'to represent the length of the severed strips.The block 42 is also secured to the lengthwise movable strip rod 43, andon this trip rod is secured the finger 44 to which one end of the tripwire 45 is attached while the other end of said wire is connected withthe clutch mechanism (not shown). This manner of tripping the clutchmechanism being old and well known, a detail description here would beunnecessary.

46 is a collar on the rock shaft 19, and 47 is a'collar on the trip rod43, and between these collars, on rod 43, is the balance spring 48. Theobject of this sprin is to reduce the strain or push necessary clutchmechanism to actuate the cutting off lever 22. In other words, whenverythin metal strips are to be cut into predetermined lengths, it' isabsolutely necessary that the trlppmgmechanism be made sltfiiclentlysensitiveto be actuated by the slight pressure of which this thin metalstrip is only capable without buckling, as any resistance offered thatthe strip could not overcome without buckling would vary the length ofthe severed strip. Therefore, the tension on. this spr ng is regulatedto suit the thickness. of the metal strip by meansof the adjust ablecollar 44 on the trip rod. The gagerod 39 is suspended in the guidebarby passing the wire 39 around said rod,

"Fig. 7, and up through'the holes 40 of the bar and twisting their free'ends together to or tripping the "It will form a supporting loop forsaid rod. 4 This arrangement will enable the rod to be freely actuatedlongitiulinally and'also maintain it in position when the apron istemporarily swung away from the gage bar. The holes for the rodsuspension wire or wires are formed 'on either side of the.rod and atregulandistances apart the extreme length of the guide-bar. While theblock '42 could be made to hold a plurality of rods extending into thelongitudinal grooves of the guide-bar and apron to act as gages, asingle rod carrying the gages '41, as shown, will \serve the samepurpose and thus avoid the necessity of suspending a plurality of rodsto the guide-bar. It will, therefore, be understood that where I employthe term gage to indicate an element against which the end of a metalstrip from the rolls contact to actuate the cutting off mechanism, itapplies as well to a plurality of members or contact points connected toa singlerod as'shown, as to a single rod for each, depression in theapron and bar and a single rod therein to form the gage. In each andevery instance, however, the recess in the guide bar through which thestrip is fed from the rolls is an important feature in connection withthe depression or depressions.

49, Figs. 1 and 2, are guide rolls adjustably located on the rearbracket 50, and 51.

rolls being located on each side of the set of straightening rolls 6, 7,8, etc., in order to guide the metal strip into the die 35 and alsopreserve its true almement in the recess of the guide-bar. While pinscould be used in place of rolls to effect the guiding ofthe metalstrip,the rolls offer less friction and are'therefore preferable.

As very thin metal strips are apt to hang between the cuttin 01f die andthe gages after being severe and not having sufiicient weight todisengage themselves therefrom when the apron is opened, the extractorsor pick outs 53 are mounted on the on the bracket 52, one pair of saidguide apron rock shaft 23 with their horizontal fingers 53 projectinginto the transverse slots 54 of the guide-bar 26 as shown at Figs. 1, 8and9. As the normal position of these fingers is above the recess 36 andthe grooves 37 in the bar, they will not interfere with the feeding ofthe .metal strips. When, therefore, the rock shaft 23 turns to carry theapron away from the guide-bar, the extractors will be carried with itand dislodge any stripedisposed to hang in the guide bar.

understood that any numbers of these extractors may be employed anddis.- tributed along the ide-bar that will give the'best results, an ifnecessary, be timed to move in unison with the apron or .at a laterperiod. V

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

I. In a-s'trip metal straightening and cutting otf machine of thecharacter described, the combination with straightening rollsand cuttingofilmechanisnti of a'guide-bar and its'movable apron, sai bar having agecess in the face to form with the apron a passageway for a metalstripsaid guide-bar having one or more longitu nal depressions at thebottom of sald recess, the apron having corresponding depresslons, andone or p more gages adapted to project into said depressions of theguide-bar and apron to prevent the feeding of a metal strip by saidgage'or gages. A

2. In a strip metal straightening and cut ting ofi machine of thecharacter described,

the combination with straightenin rolls and cutting 01f mechanism, of aguide-bar and its movable apron,'said bar having a recess in its face toform with the apron a passageway for a metal strip, said-bar, havmglongitudinal depressions at the,bottom of the recess, the apron havingcorresponding depressions, gages adapted to project into thedepressionsof the bar and apron for the purpose .described,'a trip rod,means for v connecting the gages thereto, means forecounectlng the triprod with the cutting off mechanism, and an adjustable tension springconnected with the tripping mechanism to assist a thin metal stripinactuating said 4. In a sheet metal straightening and-cutting ofl'machine of the character described, the combination with the guide-barand its apron, of strip extractors adapted to com tact with a severedstrip and throw it out of the guide-bar when the apron has been carriedaway from said'bar.

In testimony whereof I aflix in' presence of two. witnesses.

FRANKLIN BONAPARTE )SHUSTER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM S'UKLOFF', E. L. SIMPSON.

my signature

